Here's an early round of acquisitions out of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival:

  • The Solution Entertainment group has acquired international rights to David Mamet's suspense thriller Blackbird, starring Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine).  Blackbird plans to start shooting in Sydney in January 2014.
  • Magnolia Pictures acquires the U.S. rights to Jeremy S. Chechik's The Right Kind of Wrong, an adaptation of the Tim Sandlin novel, Sex and Sunsets, penned by Megan Martin.  The romantic comedy stars Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Catherine O’Hara (Best in Show) and Will Sasso (The Three Stooges) and plans to release early next year.
  • nWave Pictures Distribution has acquired "worldwide giant screen distribution rights" to David Attenborough's Galapagos 3D, a documentary exploring the colorful islands and the unique creatures that live there.

Hit the jump for more.

cate-blanchett-the-dig

Here's the press release for Blackbird with the synopsis in bold:

THE SOLUTION ENTERTAINMENT GROUP PICKS UP INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS TO DAVID MAMET’S ‘BLACKBIRD’ STARRING OSCAR WINNER CATE BLANCHETT 

Los Angeles, California (September 5, 2013) – The Solution Entertainment Group will handle international rights to writer/director David Mamet’s thriller BLACKBIRD starring Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett (BLUE JASMINE), it was announced today by The Solution Entertainment Group’s (“The Solution”) founders and partners, Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel.

The film, set to start shooting in January 2014 in Sydney, is being financed and produced by Saïd Ben Saïd’s Paris-based company, SBS Productions (SBS).

Janet (Blanchett) travels to Los Angeles for the funeral of her grandfather, a Hollywood visual effects artist who moonlighted for U.S. special ops agencies.   After his death, her grandfather's well-kept secrets become a threat to her life, forcing Janet to discover the truth about a man who dedicated his life to making illusion reality.

The Solution will present the project to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival with ICM and SBS handling US rights.

“BLACKBIRD is a quintessential suspense thriller in the vein of Mamet’s other great work, THE SPANISH PRISONER. The Solution is just as passionate and committed to the project as I am and will choose the right international partners to bring this film to a global audience,” said Ben Saïd.

“BLACKBIRD promises to be a nail-biting thriller in the hands of the talented David Mamet and the exceptional Cate Blanchett in the lead role. We’re delighted to be on board the project in Toronto,” said Wilson and Nestel.

Blanchett can currently be seen in Woody Allen’s critically acclaimed and box office success, BLUE JASMINE, opposite Alec Baldwin and Sally Hawkins. She won an Oscar for her performance in Martin Scorsese’s THE AVIATOR and has been nominated an additional four times for her roles in ELIZABETH, ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE, NOTES ON A SCANDAL and I’M NOT THERE. Her upcoming films include reprising her role as Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, to be released by Warner Bros. and George Clooney’s THE MONUMENTS MEN, both coming to theatres in December.

Magnolia's announcement of acquiring The Right Kind of Wrong comes via Deadline.  Here's the synopsis:

Leo Palamino (Kwanten) a failed-writer-turned-dishwasher made famous for his many flaws and shortcomings in a blog called “Why You Suck,” a huge Internet success written by his ex-wife. Then Leo meets Colette (Canning), the girl of his dreams… on the day she is marrying the perfect man. And so, the ultimate underdog story begins as Leo, a fearless dreamer, risks all to show Colette and the whole wide world all that is right with a man famous for being wrong.

Here's the press release for Galapagos 3D:

British Icon David Attenborough Brings a ‘Living Museum’ to the Giant Screen

Brussels, Belgium, London, United Kingdom, and Burbank, CA, September 5, 2013 – (Accesswire) – nWave Pictures Distribution is pleased to announce the acquisition of worldwide giant screen distribution rights to “Galapagos 3D” (working title) from London-based Colossus Productions. Written and narrated by renowned naturalist and veteran filmmaker David Attenborough, produced by Anthony Geffen and directed by Martin Williams, the film is a unique exploration of these enchanted islands, whose remarkable creatures helped inform the way we understand the world.

“Galapagos 3D” takes viewers to a paradise unlike any other, where life has played out in relative isolation over millions of years. The result is a biological wonderland comprising some 9,000 species with approximately 80% of the land-dwelling population being indigenous to these enchanted islands. This extraordinary wildlife has adapted to their unique environment, forging unlikely companionships and surviving against all odds. In these remote volcanic islands, giant half-ton long-necked tortoises lumber among dancing blue-footed boobies and flightless cormorants. Penguins thousands of miles away from their natural habitats share the seas with unique marine iguanas that spit sea-salt from their noses.

The film will be released to IMAX theaters and Digital Giant Screen cinemas in February 2014 and will available in 38- and 20-minute versions, 3D and 2D, 15-perf./70mm film and 4K/2K digital formats.

“After successfully launching “Penguins 3D” earlier this year at major US institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and Boston’s New England Aquarium, we are excited to again work with Attenborough and Geffen on this remarkable new film that will wow kids and families alike,” said Eric Dillens, Chairman of nWave Studios. “Building a strong lineup that provides the highest quality production standards and meets the educational needs of our clients is one of our company’s top priorities.”

“Galapagos is full of dramas, and it is also full of very, very charismatic animals which, because they’re uniquely unafraid of humans, you can get up close to and film: it’s a natural for 3D,” explains David Attenborough. “It’s one of the wonders of the world, and the animals are absolutely riveting in 3D.”

“We wanted moviegoers to discover the wonders of the Archipelago as never before,” explains Anthony Geffen, Producer of the film and Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Productions. “By using cutting-edge 4K 3D stereoscopic cameras and pushing the limits of existing technologies, we were able to meet the unprecedented challenges posed by the unique species and environments of the islands. We wanted to present the film in a way that gives audiences an opportunity to see these amazing creatures and vistas, but also to give them a chance to feel totally immersed in the experience through great 3D filming.”

“Galapagos 3D” was filmed on location over a ten-month period, and the entire production lasted fifteen months. The small volcanic archipelago is governed by Ecuador and is located in the Pacific Ocean, some 600 miles (966 Km) from the coast of South America.

The film’s official website is http://galapagos.nwave.com/.

The film’s Facebook page is http://www.Facebook.com/nWavePicturesDistribution.